BEAVER CREEK, Colo. —

Lindsey Vonn is chilling out after an exhausting period of charging down the course.

For the next few days, the Olympic gold medalist will catch her breath in Vail, Colo., as she taps the brakes on a bustling schedule.

The American skier's plans?

Some relaxing, some training. That's it.

So swift on the slopes, she is taking full advantage of this slower pace.

Usually this time of year, Vonn is in Europe preparing for her next competition. But with the races moved to Beaver Creek last week because of a lack of snow in Val d'Isere, France, Vonn gets to spend a little extra time at home with family and friends.

This is good therapy.

While everything is going so well on the hill, away from it she is dealing with a divorce from her husband of four years and persistent rumors over whom she is dating.

It is draining. It is taxing. It is invasive.

But there is always one place to escape, to forget about everything for a while — the mountain.

"When I'm skiing, I'm happy. I have a certain inner peace that I haven't had in awhile," Vonn said in an interview with The Associated Press. "If I have my skis on, I feel good."

Vonn sounded exhausted a day after racing to her first World Cup victory on U.S. slopes.

She put a lot of pressure on herself to capture a super-giant slalom in front of a hometown crowd, especially since this was the first women's race held on the Birds of Prey course. She had never really been so nervous before, including when she stood in the starting gate at the Vancouver Olympics last year as the overwhelming favorite in the downhill.

She won that day in Vancouver and again in Beaver Creek.

Vonn thrives on pressure.

The 27-year-old has won five World Cup races early in the season, including four in a row, which is an American record.

"I'm just happy I could come through for everyone in Vail and Beaver Creek and get a win on home soil," said Vonn, who is headed to France for a slalom and giant slalom. "I'm happy that I can safely say I've won at home, in the U.S. I definitely had a huge sigh of relief after the race."

To celebrate her electric victory, Vonn dropped to a knee with her skis in her hand and struck a prayer prose, joining the ever-growing "Tebowing" craze.

That added fuel to the rumor mill.

Recent gossip had her linked with Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, whose brother, Robby, showed up to watch Vonn race in Beaver Creek.

All that speculation is fatiguing and frustrating for Vonn.

"I am single. I'm not with anyone," she said. "I've heard a lot of rumors and a lot of reports. Mostly, the European press has gone a little bit crazy with the rumors that they're coming up with."

Vonn has recently got to know the Tebow family. She respects the job Tim Tebow has done in guiding the Broncos back into playoff contention, especially with all the criticism he receives.

"He's proving them all wrong," Vonn said. "In a way, that's what I'm trying to do as well — to be able to compete under any circumstance and keep fighting and doing my best every day. Just because I 'Tebow,' doesn't mean I'm dating him. I said that if I won in Colorado, I would 'Tebow' because I admire what he's doing.

"I know their family pretty well. They're great people, very kind and generous."

These days, Vonn seems to be focused on one thing — getting faster on the course. She won a season-opening giant slalom, becoming the fifth woman to win a race in all five alpine disciplines, and hasn't looked back.

Vonn's World Cup victory in Beaver Creek was the 46th of her career, moving her into a tie with Austria's Renate Goetschl for third on the career list.

"It's been an amazing start to the season," Vonn said.

There were those who wondered how Vonn would fare without her husband, Thomas Vonn, around to relieve some of the pressure. He would make sure she didn't overexert herself by conducting too many interviews or attending too many functions.

"I have a lot of really supportive people around me," Lindsey said. "At the same time, I'm the pilot when I'm in the starting gate. I've always been the pilot. I know I can be successful in skiing under extreme circumstances."

She has also started the process of repairing the relationship with her father, Alan Kildow, who introduced her to skiing and moved the family to Colorado to hone her talent.

They had a falling out a few years ago, the tension stemming in part from Vonn's relationship with Thomas Vonn, a former U.S. Olympic skier who is nearly nine years older.

"It's great to have my dad back in my life. We're working through it," Vonn said. "It's great to be able to talk to him again. You always want your dad around. It's great to finally be talking to him after so long."

Despite the difficult times, Vonn has been at her best.

"I think I proved to myself and to everyone else as well that you can do anything you set your mind to, no matter what's going on around you," she said.